1 dead, 17 sick from E. coli O26 in Cargill ground beef

Posted on September 21, 2018 by Douglas Powell

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) investigated a multistate outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O26 (E. coli O26) infections linked to ground beef from Cargill Meat Solutions. This outbreak appears to be over.

On September 19, 2018, Cargill Meat Solutions in Fort Morgan, Colorado recalled ground beef products.

Recalled ground beef products were produced and packaged on June 21, 2018 and were shipped to retailers nationwide.

Products are labeled with the establishment number “EST. 86R” inside the USDA mark of inspection.

Restaurants and retailers should not serve or sell recalled ground beef and should check freezers and storage for recalled products.

If possible, retailers who received recalled ground beef should contact their customers to alert them of the recall.

When available, the retail distribution list will be posted on the USDA-FSIS website.

Consumers with questions regarding the recall can call 1-844-419-1574. Consumers with ground beef in their freezers can contact the store where it was purchased to determine if it is recalled ground beef.

Final Outbreak Information

At A Glance

Reported Cases: 18

States: 4

Hospitalizations: 6

Deaths: 1

Illnesses started on dates ranging from July 5, 2018 to July 25, 2018.

Six people were hospitalized, including one person who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure. One person in Florida died.

Epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback evidence indicates that ground beef from Cargill Meat Solutions is a likely source of the outbreak.

On September 19, 2018, Cargill Meat Solutions recalled ground beef products that were produced and packaged on June 21, 2018 and shipped to retailers nationwide. Visit the USDA-FSIS website for a full list of recalled products[PDF – 40.2 KB].

Laboratory testing identified the outbreak strain of E. coli O26 in leftover ground beef collected from the home of one ill person in Florida. WGS analysis showed that the E. coli O26 strain identified in the leftover ground beef was highly related genetically to the E. coli O26 strain isolated from ill people.

Food that won’t make you barf? Cargill ‘working hard to understand what consumers want’

Posted on October 20, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Lisa M. Keefe of Meatingplace reports that Cargill Meats is preparing to launch its Pasture Crafted Beef brand, which will be grass-fed, grain-finished, “guaranteed tender and traceable to birth on sustainably operated ranches.”

Nicole Johnson-Hoffman, Cargill’s vice president and managing director of Cargill’s North American McDonald’s business, discussed the forthcoming product line at the Global Conference for Sustainable Beef, held here this week.

“Cargill is working hard to understand what consumers are looking for in their proteins. And we’re working to adjust our business to make sure that we are able to provide the products that people want and the information that they want about that product,” Johnson-Hoffman said.

The Pasture Crafted brand is “designed for the socially conscious beef consumer who can’t afford to go all the way to organic,” Cargill explained on its website.

Can’t you design beef that won’t make people barf? I know you can, can you at least brag about microbiologically safe food rather than playing to, and encouraging, consumer fears (so you can make more money).

Tracing back to the farm: E. coli O157 from 2007 still going

Posted on April 27, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Jim Romahn writes that beef producers should watch an unfolding court battle dating back to a 2007 E. coli O157 outbreak in the U.S. because it’s becoming clear that they could be in for huge legal costs if suppliers can prove their cattle came to market carrying food-poisoning bacteria.

This could be particularly true if the producers failed to use a vaccine that is available to reduce the shedding of harmful bacteria. A recent survey found that only two per cent of producers use the vaccine.

Romahn explains that Cargill Meat Solutions successfully sued Greater Omaha Packing Ltd. for $9 million over E. coli contamination of its ground beef, but now Greater Omaha is petitioning an appeal court to hear the case again.

Henry Davis, president and owner of Greater Omaha Packing Ltd., says his company tested every shipment of beef trimmings to Cargill and did not find any E. coli O157:H7.

Omaha was also not Cargill’s only supplier.

But when Cargill filed suit in 2011, it said it was able to identify Greater Omaha Packing Ltd. as the source of the E. coli contamination that led to a huge product recall. It sought about $25 million.

“Greater Omaha’s position is simply that you cannot mix its raw materials that tested negative for E. coli O157:H7 with other suppliers’ raw materials that have never been tested for E. coli O157:H7 or used a different testing protocol and then blame Greater Omaha when the end product is contaminated with E. coli O157:H7,” said Davis.

The case revolves around hamburger produced at Cargill over two days in August 2007.

Greater Omaha argues while both days’ production had the same E. coli O157:H7 link, Cargill used Greater Omaha’s raw materials in only one of those days’ production while two other raw material suppliers were used both days.

One of those suppliers was located overseas and never tested for E. coli O157:H7, according to Davis.

1500 people walk for food safety in India

Posted on December 21, 2015 by Douglas Powell

Over 1,500 people participated in the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Safe Food Walkathon that was organised in the City on Sunday. The walkathon is part of a series of campaigns being launched towards sensitising target sectors like street food vendors about safe food.

The event was organised in association with Cargill India and other stakeholders, including National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) and Voluntary Organisation in Interest of Consumer Education (VOICE).

Painting, poster-making competition, thematic performance, nukkad natak, presentations by street food vendors, NCC cadets and school bands, mass dissemination of food safety practices through outdoor hoardings, digital and social media were some of the highlights of the event. Training materials on food safety were also disseminated to schools and colleges prior to the event.

Cargill ground beef recalled after E. coli O157 positive in Western Canada

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Douglas Powell

Cargill Meat Solutions (Est. 700) is recalling Your Fresh Market brand ground beef products from the marketplace due to possible E. coli O157 contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled products described below.

The following products have been sold at Walmart stores in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.